Episode 2
"Book of Fetus" is the 2nd episode of The Mystic Archives of Dantalian anime. Hugh accepts a job to assess a book collection, part of an inheritance Miss Estella Lehrbern obtained. However, Hugh and Dalian are involved in a supposed curse that kills people around Estella. __TOC__ Summary Hugh, in his child form, is in the Labyrinth Library with the mysterious girl. She talks about all the wisdom contained in that place and gives him a book and a tablet. Hugh says he will be back and leaves, before the doors is closed. Hugh and Dalian are having tea with Miss Estella Lehrbern. Both Lord Wesley and Estella's grandfather, Colonel Lehrbern, have passed away around six months ago. She apologizes for sending a letter to Lord Wesley, requesting his services. However, Hugh accepts the job in his stead. Dalian is interested in Colonel Lehrbern's book collection, though she's not happy with the exchange of pleasantries between Hugh and Estella. The latter shows them her grandfather's study. As her parents have already passed away, Estella inherited the mansion, along with her grandfather's collection. However, she needs someone to assess it. Some bells can be heard. Estella explains that the source of the sound is the carillon of the mansion that is played every hour. Her grandfather amassed his fortune manufacturing musical boxes, and applied the same techniques to construct the clock tower. Child mark.png|Hugh receives two Phantom Books. Estella's mansion.png|Hugh accepts the job requested by Estella. Hugh starts his job. Dalian is not impressed by the Colonel's books, comparing it to Wesley's collection. Dalian blushes when Hugh shows interest in Estella, assuming that he's attracted to her hair. They are interrupted by Martin Geese, Estella's cousin. He notices how Hugh avoids using his right hand to shake hands. Martin explains that he's serving as Estella's guardian, checking her every week and making arrangements related to food and servants. Hugh is concerned about Estella, who seems to be secluded in that isolated place. Martin says that she's isolated because of a curse which attracts murder to everyone that tries to take Estella out of the mansion, including her parents, and that the source of the curse is a Phantom Book buried somewhere in the Colonel's collection. At night, Hugh arrives in his room, where Dalian is reading a book, interested in the Colonel's different tastes compared to Wesley's. Hugh has the Colonel's scrapbook, which shows records of the murders. The first one occurred 50 years ago, when Estella had not born yet. The scrapbook gives information about more than one hundred cases of deaths or missing people. The incidents suddenly stopped for a while and, after decades, started again around Estella. Dalian affirms that the curse doesn't exist and that Phantom Books do not affect those who only possess it. Through a window, Hugh sees Martin and Estella walking together. Dalian provokes Hugh, saying Martin and Estella could have a twisted relationship. When they hear the bells from the clock tower, Hugh tries to make Dalian leave his room so he can sleep. She blushes while pretending that she's not afraid of the curse. They hear someone screaming. Outside, the full moon is covered by the clouds. Hugh sees the bloodied body of Martin Geese in the arms of a metallic creature. Estella is next to it, also covered in blood. The creature withstand Hugh's shots and leaps to the top of the mansion, going away with Martin's body. Hugh asks if Estella is fine. She worries about Martin, apparently oblivious of what just happened. She shows a creepy smile for a moment and then profusely apologizes to her late grandmother when she realizes the state of her dress. The next day, Dalian explains that the monster they saw is a golem created by someone that used the Book of Fetus, whilst another Phantom Book, called 72 Gospels of the Shem-ha-mephorash, is being used to control it. Dalian leaves to find the Phantom Book. Hugh follows her, noticing that she put something in the pocket of his coat. Dalian reads a book about the history of the Lehrbern family and finds that Colonel Lehrbern's wife is descendant of people hunted down because of a string of murders within their territory. Camilla brings lunch, interrupting them. She tells them she prepared it herself, as the servants left the place after Martin’s death, fearing they would not receive their pay. She asks if Hugh would be with her forever and is taken aback when he call her Miss Lehrbern, not Estella. She leans against Hugh and stabs him. The bells of the clock tower ring. Estella explains that she kills so that people cannot leave her. The golem breaks through a wall, revealing the bodies of all the servants. Dalian says that the women of that household are born with an impulse to kill. Hugh shows that he was saved because of the book put in his pocket by Dalian. The latter reveals that the golem was created to hide the evidence of the crimes. Hugh grabs Dalian to protect her from the golem. She gives Hugh the right to open the Library’s gate. He uses the key in his hand and, like seen at the beginning of the episode, he receives two Phantom Books. He reads The Book of Styx to summon a shield and block all the punches from the golem. After that, he uses The Clay Tablet of Ugarit to summon a lightning attack, that goes through the roof and hits the golem. The creature loses his right arm at the same time that Estella is pushed away. Hugh is exhausted by having to use two Phantom Books. They see the golem getting up. Hugh learns that the golem is immortal and that it can only be stopped by the 72 Gospels of the Shem-ha-mephorash. He asks if there is a Phantom Book that does not use letters and Dalian avers. He realizes that the Phantom Book they need to defeat the golem is in the form of the carillon made by 72 different musical boxes. He uses The Clay Tablet of Ugarit to destroy the clock tower, which makes the golem fall into pieces. It’s shown how Estella was mistreated during her creation. They prepare to leave the collapsing mansion, when Hugh calls for Estella. She says that she will stay in that place, as she promised to her grandfather. Later, Hugh appears reading a newspaper about the fate of the Lehrbern family. Dalian explains the curse that affected the women in their family as a psychological change due to abuse when they were young. Hugh laughs at the fact that Dalian is trying to mimic Estella’s hair. Trivia * Hugh investigates the Colonel's scrapbook to know more about the murder cases around Estella. One of the photos in this scrapbook was published in the 1870's by the Illustrated Police News, one of the first British tabloids. It's related to a girl that died, probably from a heart disease, and had her body eaten by rats. * The book Dalian is reading at night is called "Arrow of Time I". Arrow of time is a concept developed in 1927 by British astronomer Arthur Eddington, describing how time appears to have a direction: the past lies behind us and the future lies ahead. * In the last scene, she's reading "The Entertainment in Conversation and Verse". There's a 1976 work from R. D. Laing called "Do You Love Me? An Entertainment in Conversation and Verse". It's a collection of dialogues about relationships.